PHILADELPHIA, June 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Berger & Montague, P.C. is pleased to announce that Health First has agreed to pay $3.5 million to resolve a False Claims Act lawsuit filed in 2014 by Berger & Montague of behalf of its whistleblower client.

The lawsuit alleged, among other things, that Health First illegally induced referrals of patients to various hospitals by offering kickbacks to physicians in the community. The case is captioned U.S. ex rel. John Doe v. Health First, Inc. et al., Case No. 6:14-CV-501-RBD-DCI (Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division).

The lawsuit was originally filed on March 24, 2014. On February 4, 2015, the government filed a notice indicating that it was not intervening in the lawsuit. Thereafter, on behalf of its client, Berger & Montague litigated the case against Health First until its successful conclusion. Per the terms of the settlement agreement, U.S. District Court Judge Roy Dalton dismissed the case earlier today.

The settlement marked the eighth previously-declined case in the past two years that Berger & Montague has successfully litigated for its clients on behalf of the federal and state governments.